I'm still learning. Although I knew from the start that the ratio of stags to hens is important I'm only now seeing to what extent. We acquired five poults at four weeks old in March and a mature pair then two mature hens later. The mature hens were already egg laden and gave us more poults.
The first five tuned out to include three stags and we don't have enough mature hens for them. Consequently, they are frequently battling for supremacy. They have deposed the old man and, as they still grow, won't concede to each other. When one tries to mate, the others push him away. Once the rains have stopped and we can get back to building I will add a sin bin pen so that fighters can be separated if it gets too serious. I might also start to separate them into mating groups for future breeding but the preference at the moment is to let them range where they want.
Jrsqic, why did your hen die?
